Monday, December 22, 2008

Many people become paralyzed with fear when faced with having to cook a really expensive cut of meat to a perfect medium-rare.

Prime rib of beef may be the best example -- everyone sitting around the holiday table; drinking, laughing, waiting for you to appear from the kitchen with a magazine-cover-worthy slice of beef.

The method you'll see below is something I've really wanted to test for my American Food site. The problem is I normally don't have prime rib laying around to test recipes on. But, while grocery shopping this week, I noticed a great sale on small prime ribs and was able to snag a 3.75 beauty for $18.00. That's enough for four servings, and a great deal any way you slice it.Okay, here is the formula for "Method X." The rib is brought to room temperature (this is CRITICAL), and seasoned anyway you like. Then you multiply the exact weight times 5 minutes. For me it was 3.75 x 5 = 18.75 minutes. This is said to work for any size prime rib.

The rib is cooked at 500 degrees F for exactly that many minutes. Then the oven is turned off. You wait 2 hours, without opening the oven door. Then you remove the prime rib and slice into the juiciest, tenderest, most perfectly medium-rare meat you've ever seen!

NOTE: This is a specific formula for achieving a perfect med-rare prime rib. I have no info on altering it for other degrees of doneness. (although I would say don't spend money on this cut if you like your meat cooked more, since it will get dry. I've also included the recipe for my seasoned butter below. Enjoy!

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Prime rib is very expensive, so no matter what method
you use (traditional or Method X), you should always have a probe-stylethermometer
inserted so that the internal temp can be monitored, to avoid any chance
of over-cooking. Set the probe alarm (125 F. for medium-rare) just in case, and pull
the roast from oven even if there's still time left on the timer.

108 comments:

I love this - but, and pardon my pun, this is a BIG BUT, not everyone has more than one oven, and how many who don't have two could go without using their oven for other baking the last 2 hours before dinner?

Would this work in one of those electiric roasters, OR could you quickly get it out, cover with foil, and let it sit by the fireplace? (better put your dog outside first!)

I'm going to try this for sure. I've been using a digital thermometer but have been burned by the carryover temperature rise. I pulled a 7 rib roast out at 115 degrees and the thing kept going all the way to 140 or so...

You rock Chef. What's the music? I feel inspired to learn how to play the piano! What is room temp? I only ask because as we live in Florida my room temp is probably different than yours... Got the DVD and will present it to my Mom later today!!!

Chef, An interesting question. I just got home with TWO prime ribs (bone in) from Costco. One weighs 6.91 and the other 7.32. Any thoughts on how I could pull this off? I'd rather err on the side of rareness if it comes down to going with the weight of one ... and it is scary to contemplate all those $$ being wasted, but unless it's over cooked, you almost can't ruin a deliciously fatty prime rib.?

Well, then if rare doesn't bother you, I would use the 6.91 lbs (34 minutes?) for the formula, and go with that. One issue with two ribs in the oven will be more mass in the same space absorbing the heat. I would probably check with a thermometer after the 2 hours - mine was right at 125 when I sliced and it was perfect. If it's too rare you can turn the oven on 300F, have a snack and wait until it comes up a bit more.

Or, just roast the traditional style!

I would google it to see if you can find anyone that's used this "turn the oven off" method with two ribs.

Hey Chef John,It sounds easy enough, it looks easy enough, could preparing this while wearing a pair of Mozo Shoes help? Also, wondered why you didn't deglaze with red wine or other liquid to match the bourgie-ness of the cut.Thanks again for another amazing recipe!

Place pizza stone or some other high mass objects in the oven to hold the temperature steady.

Preheat oven to 250F

Place standing rib roast on a rack over a backing dish or roasting pan.

Insert probe thermometer from the top down, not sideways. Cover loosely in Al foil.

Turn oven down to 200F, and cook until the thermometer reads 118F.

Remove roast and leave covered with foil on the counter. Turn oven up to 500F.

Rest until the carry-over temp stabilizes. You'll know when that happens because the temp sensor will quit rising. It should stop around 130F.

Uncover it, LEAVE THE TEMP PROBE IN PLACE, and place it back in the oven for 10 minutes at 500F to give it a crust.

Remove and rest. Leave in the probe till the resting is done.

I've seen this method also used with a terracotta pot over the roast to even out the temp, but if you have a decent oven, you don't need it. This gave me a great MR when I've done it. For more or less, pull it earlier or later than 118F.

Looks yummy, but I was inspired by a previous post so I have already invested in LAMB SHANKS to slow-roast for the upcoming feast. I've never tasted lamb shank before but I do like lamb, and you've never really steared me wrong before (well, ok there was that one time with the egg creams... they were pretty gross but maybe I just did something wrong). Wish me luck!

Deglazing with red wine is for the French! (and Alton Brown) I prefer the less acidic water or beef broth to dissolve the PR fond. "Real" jus is nothing more than the natural juice with no additions. So, put that in your beret and wear it.

Incidentally, what do you think the BBQ Pit Boys over at barbecueweb.com think about cooking this. 'Cause I'm thinking about having my in-laws for dinner... If you catch my drift.

Merry Christmas, Chef John.And a big shout out to Anonymous, who seems to be one dedicated fan. He posts inquisitive (albeit sometimes redundant) questions to you several times a day. Amazing dedication. Merry Christmas, Anonymous, wherever you are...

Hey Chef, first this prime rib will be my xmas even dinner. I love prime rib but never had success cooking it--will try your method. Second--there is a chef "butter" that goes great with steaks and prime rib etc--its a creamy melt in your mouth butter but I have never been able to make it--do you know the ingredients for a great steak butter to go with this?

Thank you for a wonderful cooking year of enjoyable and delicious vids and all your efforts. Merry Christmas to you and yours, thanks for making a DVD for sale--and I look forward to another foodwishes year.

Thanks! Same to you. A great steak butter is a simple steak butter. Room temp stick of butter mashed with a clove of crushed garlic, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper and chopped fresh italian parsley. That's it!

It's a lot of butter! 8lbs that will need to be clarified and infused with herbs. At the end, I will sear the roast for a nice crust. I will use some of the leftover butter to make roasted cauliflower and for mashed potatoes.

With the mail as awful as it is around here, the butter would probably be a science fair project by the time it got to you :)

Chef,I told my sister-in-law about your method. She prepared prime rib last night (Xmas eve). She trusted me (and you) and cooked her meat exactly as you describe. She left a message on my machine: "The best, juiciest, most perfect med-rare piece of meat we've ever had. We will NEVER cook PR any other way."

Thanks Chef! BTW, I bought my sons each one of your DVDs.. boy were they "stoked", as they say. Thanks again!

I was very intrigued when I read this. So, we tried it again just right now (tonight's dinner). It worked BEAUTIFULLY!!!! As I was cutting each slice of prime rib, I had to marvel ALOUD how nice the meat was done!

It needs to not be cold inside to work, and a big thick roast takes a while to come to temperature. The health Dept. probably doesn't like the suggestion, but if it starts out really cold from a fridge, not too much danger of any spoilage in that time.

I used this method to cook my Christmas Eve prime rib. The meat weighed -in at 5.96 and was absolutely cooked to medium-rare perfection. I will never cook it any other way. Thanks for the great advice!

I saw a question abuot a PR without the bone. I had the same problem and here's what I did. I picked up a small PR from TJ's, but it did not have the bone in. Now what?? I figured most of the weight for the Method-X formula comes from the meat. I didn't think the heat from the bones would be significant to the cooking time because the meat is in contact with the hot roasting pan. I estimated that if my small 2.92 lb PR had bones, the bones would account for about .5 lb. I added .5 to 2.92, then applied the formula. It worked perfectly!! Moist, tender, and perfectly medium rare. I have never cooked PR before - I was always too imtimidated - but this is a cinch!! Thanks again Chef John!!

Chef John,I'll be a monkey's aunt - it worked!I have to admit that I had my doubts despite the positive testimonials.The only thing I would do differently would be to invest in a prime roast instead of choice. Is it that the increased marbling adds significantly to the flavor? My roast was tender (I had dry aged it for a week in my refrigerator which didn't make any difference to the tenderness or flavor, much to my disappointment.)

My real question - where do I post recipe questions that you will see sooner than later. My questions is about that dish I just can't get right, the scalloped potato. I used a recipe and method from the famous El Gaucho restaurants in the Northwest part of the country. The recipe was suppossedly posted by one of the chefs at the Tacoma site. The dish turned out curdled, as it always does for me. Do you have any suggestions in making this elusive dish? I have never been able to start with raw sliced potatoes covered by cheese and cream or half and half and have it edible. (I wasted 1/2 cup of really good parmigiana-reggiano cheese)

Hi John.Tried your recipe and it turned out great.Only problem was while it was in oven at 500 degrees,oven started to smoke up the house.Do you put a little water in the pan to prevent the smoking? Ken

Chef John, I bought a 19lb 7rib (Prime) grade, prime rib. Yes, it was way to expensive. Have you tried your math method out on a big Prime Rib? I would have to cook it at 500 for 95 minutes needless to say I am scared I will burn it up. What is your thoughts?

I'm really intrigued by this recipe but must cook 2 prime ribs. Can you do 2 in the same oven, just try to get 2 similar weight portions? Would i cook them using the same time frame or need to add time for the extra meat in the oven?

Anyway, I tried this "Method X" with a 9lb cut of Prime Rib and it came out incredible. I also followed your instructions for the Au Jus and Horseradish Cream Sauce. My aunt (who says she's a huge Prime Rib fan) said it was the best she's ever eaten. It was my first prime rib cooking attempt, and it came out so ridiculously tender, we cut our pieces with a butter knife (literally). Thanks to you, it was the hit of the holiday and I will absolutely be using it again. And yes, use more salt than you think you need.

Love all your videos, and when are you going to be on FoodNetwork so we all can enjoy?

Used this last nite on a one bone 2.2LB prime rib. Turned out more medium than med-rare but it was still tender and juicy. I think there might be a minimum size to this recipe.

Also my oven has a fan that will turn on once I turn off my oven, this will obviously cause problems so I turned off the stove at the breaker panel. I know this won't work for everyone since but it's an option.

Did the Au Jus recipe and that turned out a little thicker than what I'm used to so next time I'll use 1 tablespoon instead of 1.5 tablespoon of flour. Still very good I just like my Au Jus a little runny since I use it for beef dip sandwiches the next day.

Overall it was still the best PR I've done at home and next time I'll try a larger piece of PR.

Hi Chef John....I just bought a 15lb standing prime rib roast with this method in mind and I cant wait to try it out but after rereading your original directions asking that we use a 4 to 8 lb prime rib I'm wondering if mine is too big for this method to work? I hope that you get this message soon since we are having it for Christmas dinner in 2 days.:) Also, my mom has one of those ovens with optional cooking methods such as convectional bake, convectional roast or just plain baking. Would the convectional method throw this recipe off or should I stick with the okain baking method? Thanks again for your help...I love reading your blogs, you are awesome!Sincerely,Barbie

Has anyone measured their oven temp at about an hour after its shut off ?Curious as to how my oven compares to others . My oven dropped to 150 F after an hour of being shut off . Dont think thats hot enough for the 2 hour sit , is it ?

Is there any way to make this a little bit more cooked. My mother likes the meat not so rare and there is one way to make things right, your mother's way, the other one is the wrong way ;) please help!

We had this for Christmas dinner too. There are no words in the English language that could describe how wonderful this tasted. I was very concerned about our oven and the drop in temp after turning it off , so... I left the temp at 200 for the 2 hours and it still came out wonderful. I removed the roast when the internal was 116 deg. F

I made this for Christmas dinner this year. I have used the Showtime Oven for years now, but this year my rib roast was too big (10.5 lbs) to fit. I admit, I was a little afraid of the﻿ 500 degree temp and I thought it might be cold after 2 hours. It was ABSOLUTELY THE BEST RIB ROAST I HAVE EVER COOKED. The Au Jus was perfect as well. Many thanks for posting this. You made my Christmas dinner very special! I have bookmarked your site and will refer to if often.

When I was a cook at a steak house the way we would prepare the prime rib at different temps was to cook the roast to rare. Then slice off the the steaks and place under a brioler for the perfect temp. It worked and tasted great and the ticket all went out at the same time.

I have done this with the recommended directions lbs, etc. And it is always the best ever. Tonite I tried it with a 1 1/2 lb roast w/bone or a huge steak really. The method does not work. But it does with modifications. Started out like Chef John says, 500 degrees @ 5 mins per pound. Turn off oven. I use a digital therm that you leave inserted while its cooking. Reached the desired temp only a few mins after turning oven off. So I yanked it out & let sit for 20 mins. It actually turned out perfect rare, which is how we like it. I have more in the frig so will experiment with less than 5 mins ONLY FOR A ONE RIB STEAK & more time resting in oven, etc... Thank you Chef John for this technique. I never thought prime rib or steak would ever be as good in a home oven. The original recipe is right on, you cant go wrong except not trying it. But we love it so much I am adapting to only 2 of us for a dinner. Just curious have you ever tried filet with this method?

Tried this again last night. This time using a 2 lb boneless ribeye. Did the 5 min x 2. 10 mins at 500 then turned off oven & watched digital thermometer. Soon as it reached 115 took it out lightly covered with foil & let rest 20 mins. Was perfect!!!! Again thank you for this recipe!! Hubby is on way to grocery store right now to get more lol before it goes off sale. This has worked so many times now, I am gonna try filet, too curious not to.

Thank you so much Chef John, I cooked this a couple of days ago and it came out awesome. I had some left over so we had french dip sandwiches last night, they were yummy too. Right now I have your crock pot chuck roast dish cooking I'm sure it will turn out great too.

Made this at Easter for my family and everyone loved it so much that it will be dinner on Christmas Eve by request of my exremly picky mother in law. The only thing is this time I will be making a larger one as a couple people would have liked 2nds and who dosent like a good leftover prime rib sandwich the next day! Thanks Chef!

First let me say Chef John rocks. This is my go-to site for many cooking questions or ideas. I have used this method for eye of round and it also works perfectly. I wanted to get away from the pre-packaged meat that my husband was taking for sandwiches, because of all the additives. I also used an electric meat slicer and, voila, cost-effective, more nutricious lunches. The key is definitely room temp meat, the high heat and NO OPENING THE OVEN DOOR! I've never used a butter baste before but I think I'll try it out next time to see if it adds to the "juiciness" that this cut lacks. Keep up the great work on the videos.

Hey Chef, Love the technique. Any thoughts on using this method to cook a boneless leg of lamb? My thought was to use a digital thermometer to monitor the temp after the initial searing in the oven until it reaches 125. Thanks!

I did a 7# boneless PR last night that came out perfect using this method. I did 30 minutes on 500, then oven off and coast to 118 degrees internal temp (about 1.5 hours). Tented under foil from there to 130 internal temp. A good digital thermometer is key. We needed 45 minutes to prepare sides and started them at about 110 degrees. Timing was perfect too. This is the only way we will cook PR from now on.

I've never cooked anything other than mac n cheese before but I decided I would try cooking something for my boyfriend this week. His favorite dish is prime rib so I'm going to try and cook it like this. I was wondering if there was anything other than pepper and herbs de provence that goes good on it with the butter in the beginning? Also if he likes horse radish, would that replace the au jus or should I have both? Any and all tips and help would be greatly appreciated!!

Chef John, I have used your "Perfect Prime Rib" system for roasting....and had great results with a five pound boneless rib roast. I will have a larger group this next time and if I was to use two separate five pound roasts in the same oven a the same time, I assume that I would use the same method as for one. Or would the math be for the whole 10 pounds. thanks, jdy

Hello Chef John! I really like your videos, and I have tried many of your recipes which were always successful making my friends think I'm an amazing cook. I tried this prime rib recipe. I followed the directions, and when the friends arrived I made sure NO ONE OPENED THE OVEN door - they were impressed with my new duel fuel Wolf stove. So they arrived 20 minutes late, I had everything timed for when the prime rib should be finished, but the appetizer & salad took longer than timed so the roast was left in the oven longer than the 2 hours. The roast was medium to well done. My question - could you take the prime rib out of the oven at the end of the 2 hours and then heat it when you're ready to serve it? Thanks. Jeff

Hello Chef John. I really enjoy your videos, and I've tried many recipes all with great success. When I followed the directions for roasting the prime rib, my guests were fashionably late so the roast was in the oven longer than the 2 hours - therefore it was more medium well done by the time I served it. Can you remove the roast from the oven at the end of the 2 hours and then reheat it prior to serving so you can get that rare-medium outcome? Thanks. Jeff

You can't really re-heat the rib without it cooking further. This method kind of depends on pulling the rib and eating right then. The only answer is to be sure the rib is the last thing done. Since you know the ETA for that, you can time the other stuff (and guests) beforehand. No other real option.

Cooking prime rib again tonite...........(I'm dancing lol). Other cuts of meat do work, BUT needs to be similar in shape. Tenderloin does work, but need a probe b/c it doesnt take near as long b/c of the shape. Chef John, just wanted to let you know that you have totally spoiled the hubby! We started out doing this many times with a 2 lb rib roast and well he eats it for 2 days! The one I am cooking right now is 6.4 lbs just for 2 of us. The way we reheat is let slices come to room temp & let sit for a min or 2 in au jus or in the pan on extreme low, only if thick slices. Dinner, brunch, lunch, dinner. He loves beef :)

Ooooooohhhhhhh, Chef John. My husband raves about the prime rib he grew up with, so I just stayed the hell away from it. Then, for some inexplicable reason, I announced that I was making prime rib when inviting friends over for dinner. I dunno what got into me. Anyway, as usual, I leaned on you, and you were there. I treated your instructions like the Ten Commandments (well, actually, a lot better than I've ever treated the ten commandments). And, what do you know... I got the words every wife longs to hear: "Wow, Babe, this is better than my mother's."

PS: telling my husband that I was turning the oven off was a big mistake. I finally had to threaten him with bodily harm if he went anywhere near the oven.

Another Christmas eve is here and again for at least the 4th year in a row I am making a giant prime rib. And again I am using this method to roast it. Its never failed me and it is something I look forward to every single year now. Merry merry happy happy.